Replicators

[Aero]

Does anyone have any experience with these RepRap printers?
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
Now if we just had assemblers ... but that would make two genders, wouldn't it, with one gender replicating all the parts and the other putting all the parts together. Maybe they could evolve to where they merged and the new units arrived all assembled with the former assembler evolving into a supplies chaser, bringing raw feedstock to the family. Wouldn't that be something!


Edit: Gender remarks added.

[kcdodd]

The next generation of intellectual lawsuits. Imagine the first person arrested for driving a car he built from designs he got off a p2p service.

[Jccarlton]

Does anyone have any experience with these RepRap printers?
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
Now if we just had assemblers ... but that would make two genders, wouldn't it, with one gender replicating all the parts and the other putting all the parts together. Maybe they could evolve to where they merged and the new units arrived all assembled with the former assembler evolving into a supplies chaser, bringing raw feedstock to the family. Wouldn't that be something!


Edit: Gender remarks added.

I've been following 3d part creation through various generation since the late eighties and this could be the next big thing as a big advance:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/voxel- ... raphy.html
It's going to require a whole new way of thinking though.

[Aero]

The thing that got my attention is the claim by someone over on the NASA spaceflight forum that he is making $400-$500 a week with his reprap machines right now. He's not waiting for the future to get here, its here.

[djolds1]

Does anyone have any experience with these RepRap printers?
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
Now if we just had assemblers ... but that would make two genders, wouldn't it, with one gender replicating all the parts and the other putting all the parts together. Maybe they could evolve to where they merged and the new units arrived all assembled with the former assembler evolving into a supplies chaser, bringing raw feedstock to the family. Wouldn't that be something!

Nanotech assemblers are the fantasy, macrotech fabbers look to be the reality. I prefer to imagine Polywell or Focusfusion powered plasma jets vaporizing/ionizing waste or input ores for magnetic sorting into raw materials hoppers for use in fabbers.

I've been following 3d part creation through various generation since the late eighties and this could be the next big thing as a big advance:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/08/voxel- ... raphy.html
It's going to require a whole new way of thinking though.

You can also (easily) see the use of amorphous/glassy metals in extrusion structural printing. Or Contour crafting for the cruder structural applications.